The air in the courtyard had grown cooler and crisper with the start of October. Ellie closed her book with a contented sigh and huddled deep into her cloak, pondering her book’s bittersweet ending. She had come to admire the protagonist and felt she related to her in a way. To see her future so uncertain and the road ahead so troublesome, Ellie couldn’t help but feel personally afflicted.

It was now late afternoon, a good portion of the day well spent catching up with castle friends and reading in solitude. But now Ellie grew restless wondering how her family fared, so she started back to the Great Hall and to the visitor’s suite.

At the same moment she raised her hand to knock, a thunderous bellow rolled through the corridor, nearly leaping Ellie from her skin. She pivoted on her heel and darted into the music room to find none other than Lillian, standing atop a small ladder and holding the neck of the comically large horn. Beside her was Elise with her hands planted firmly on her hips.

“What compelled you to do such a thing?” she squawked in lecture. “Now we’ll have to clean the mouthpiece, thus adding yet another task to today’s agenda!”

“Sorry,” Lillian groaned, and sulked down the ladder.

“Having fun in here?” Ellie asked with a wide grin. “Looks like you’re helping Elise with some chores.”

“Yes!” Lillian leapt down from the second-to-last rung. “Gerald’s been with us, too.”

She pointed to a cushion that’d been placed on a side table, atop which was the rat himself seated on his backside.

“Hello, Miss Ellie.” He waved.

“Ah, so that’s why I couldn’t find you in Rat Town,” she said, snickering.

“Elise answers one question about her for every task I finish,” Lillian interrupted. “But it’s annoying, because she doesn’t always give me an answer that makes sense!”

A chuckle echoed in Elise’s skull. “Can’t have you solving my mysteries too fast. I must keep up that cryptic aura about me, after all.” She folded her hands in her lap and turned to Ellie. “Next we’ll dust the chapel, but only after Lillian has scrubbed the mouthpiece of this oversized tuba.”

“Oh, I don’t wanna go in that freaky place,” Gerald whined. “It always smells and I feel like I’m being watched. Sends a chill up my spine every time I pass by it on the way to the kitchen.”

“Then don’t go in there with us,” Elise said plainly. “Not like you’re helping with the chores, anyway.”

“No, no, I’ll go along. I like listening to Miss Lillian’s stories.”

Elise scoffed and, if she had eyes, would have rolled them.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, then,” Ellie said, and backed into the corridor toward the visitor’s suite.

She gave the door a quick knock and listened, but there was only silence on the other side. Carefully, Ellie opened the door and peered inside to find no one, save for Bram bundled up in bed and sound asleep. Ellie called sweetly to him, rousing her father from his slumber. He squinted at her with tired eyes as he sat upright and the smile on Ellie’s face slowly morphed into a concerned frown. After all, one would be hard pressed to keep positive at the sight of such pale complexion and trembling hands.

“What’s wrong, Dad?” she asked.

“Oh, nothing,” he breathed. “I’m just tired. Yesterday was more excitement than I’ve ever had. That, and this bed is so comfy that I’ve hardly left it since I first crawled in.”

“It’s a lot nicer than the one in my little room.” Ellie pressed her hand into the plush, violet blanket just beside her father’s leg. “You’ve just been sleeping? Do you want something to read?”

“That’s about all I can do from bed, huh? Wish I had the strength to look around, like how your mum took your brother to see the alchemy lab. But until this medicine kicks in, I should probably stay right here.”

“Well, if you wanna sleep more, then.”

“No no, come sit.” Bram scooted over and patted the bed. “You’re not wiggling away that easily.”

“Not like I’m trying to.” Ellie seated herself and smirked. “Did you wanna talk about something?”

“I did. For starters—” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry if I went too far with the teasing yesterday, in the carriage. It wasn’t really fair to put you or Janus on the spot like that.”

She gave a brief laugh. “Oh, you’re worrying too much.”

“I don’t think I am. We’re such a tightly knit family, I guess the teasing just comes naturally and we didn’t really consider the impression it might give your newfound love.”

“Don’t,” Ellie whined and buried her face in her hands. “Now you’re using this to tease me.”

“I’m not!” Bram laughed. “I’m sorry, I kinda did, but it wasn’t on purpose. This has all just been a real strange experience.” While still trembling, he took his daughter’s arm and slowly worked her hand into his palm. “And I’m sorry if we were harsh toward Janus. It was just a shock to learn that during that time you were gone, you were off making friends and falling in love.” Bram tucked his chin close to his chest and peered up at Ellie. “You do love this man, right? And you trust him with all your heart?”

Ellie nodded without hesitation. “Granted, I’ve been worried that I was jumping into it too fast. I mean, we only knew each other for two months. And I’ve thought about that so much, but I never felt that pit in my stomach that I usually do when I’m too hasty with important decisions.”

“You’re a smart girl, and you’ve always been true to yourself. If this is how you feel about Janus, then I’ll learn to love and trust him, too. I mean, he could’ve hurt you at any point with his magic, but he didn’t. So, as far as I’m concerned, he’s already earned a good bit of trust. And myths be damned, I wanna get to know him.”

“You will,” Ellie said, and smiled.

“Yes, so that’s why I need to rest up, so I can go socialize and explore like everyone else!” Bram lifted his blanket over his chest and burrowed back into bed. “Never thought I’d get to stay in a castle—palace, whatever.”

Gently, Ellie leaned forward and kissed her father on the forehead before wishing him well. She made certain he was comfortable, then returned to the corridor where she leaned against the nearest pillar and grimaced. Despite his cheerful demeanor, it was rare for Bram to look so sickly, and Ellie now feared that the tolls on his body were likely permanent. But it was merely speculation, and for all she knew, access to the Night Realm’s plants and knowledge could lead her mother to discover an even stronger medicine that might finally cure him.

Ellie shuffled down the southwest corridor and into the alchemy lab. Only Irwin was there, leaning over and carefully examining a set of glass utensils on a table. He tapped one lightly, making it clink with its pair. Laying in front of him was an open book which he’d occasionally refer to before searching the table.

Ellie took care when calling his name, yet still Irwin jolted and rattled several tools out of place. His yelp in turn startled her, and Ellie exhaled into the hand she’d slapped to her face.

“You’re so skittish lately.”

“Sorry, I feel like I’m in a trance with every new thing I see.” Irwin pushed the misaligned tools back into place. “What was that loud horn earlier?”

“Lillian’s newest obsession, no doubt.”

Irwin’s face grew grim. “Gods, I hope not.”

“Where’s Mum?” Ellie asked, joining her brother at the table.

He pointed to the door opposite of where she’d entered. “She asked Janus about the uh, the stone affliction, or something like that. He said it would be better if he showed her, so they left. That was about… half an hour ago.” He squinted at a longcase clock along the middle of the wall.

Ellie’s eyes widened and she swayed back slightly. “They—they went to see the statues?”

“I guess so? Janus seemed hesitant, but Mum said she wanted to help. I didn’t really understand what was going on, though.”

Ellie looked at the book before Irwin to find the pages filled with diagrams of various instruments and utensils. Many were more commonly found in an alchemy lab such as this than an apothecary’s workshop. The way her brother ran his fingers over every last diagram as though he were thoroughly committing them to memory caused Ellie to smile.

“You seem to really like this stuff.”

Irwin lifted his head and gave a small chuckle. “Well, I never could seem to get excited about Mum’s apothecial work. It was fascinating, but not quite my thing. Now alchemy on the other hand is like an advanced form that delves into far more than just medicine.”

“Maybe you should ask Janus to teach you about it?”

The book closed with an abrupt thud. “No. No, I couldn’t do that. I already wanted to ask him about the history book, and about magic…”

“Magic?” Ellie repeated. “Were you going to ask him to teach it to you? I can tell you from experience; even the simplest stuff isn’t easy.”

“Experience? Did you—did you learn magic?”

Ellie raised her hand, imagined the room dark, and snapped her fingers. Nothing happened.

“Nope.”

“Well, I already have plenty to ask him about as it is and no courage for any of it. Besides, I don’t need to add alchemy on top of everything else.”

“Why not?” Ellie shrugged. “Something tells me he’d be touched, even if he doesn’t have the time to help. It certainly doesn’t hurt to ask.” She watched how her brother played with the book’s spine, deeply considering her words. “Are you scared of him?”

Irwin jerked his head back. “Oh, no! Well, he was a little intimidating at first. Kinda has that air about him, and I originally thought he was from House Faust. But, he does seem kind and not to mention incredibly smart. I’ve definitely warmed up to him, and I think Mum has, too.” He turned to look at the south door. “Speaking of which, I think I hear her.”

Sure enough, Vena stepped through the door while in the midst of conversation with Janus. Her face was white and her eyes dark, as expected from seeing the state of Janus’s family and hearing his tale.

“None of the medical journals I own have any information on such an affliction, but I can put in a request for access to any that were shared from other Shards. Once I return to the Prime Realm, that is.” She leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms. “I’m just sorry you have to wait even longer.”

“It’s quite all right,” Janus said, his voice weighted with disappointment he desperately tried to mask. “They’ve been in this state for a few centuries. Such a wait would be trivial in comparison.”

Vena stopped in her tracks when she saw Ellie beside Irwin. “Ellie,” she said with a smile and approached them. “I pressured poor Janus into showing me his—his family. So that I could better understand the affliction.”

“I wouldn’t say ‘pressured’,” Janus said, chuckling. “More like ‘gently nudged’.”

“And it sounds like you didn’t have much luck.” Ellie frowned. “Sorry, not to change the subject, but do you know if Dad’s okay? I was just in there a few minutes ago and even though he was chatty, he’s more pale than I’ve ever seen him before.”

Vena’s lips pursed and she scratched her neck. “Really? I gave him his dosage a few hours ago, so he should be improving by now. I’ll go check on him.”

She lightly touched her daughter’s arm and made her way back out into the corridor. After she had gone, Janus relaxed his shoulders and approached Ellie with a weak smile.

“I hope your father will be well,” he said, then pointed toward the asylum. “If need be, I can always have Rehor look at him.”

“I’m sure he’ll be okay,” Ellie added. “He’s just never exerted so much energy before.”

The room grew silent—awkwardly so. Ellie rapped her fingers on the edge of the table and glanced to Irwin, whose eyes bore into her before clenching his hands and subtly shaking his head when he realized what she was planning.

“There’s something Irwin wants to ask you,” she said, turning bodily to Janus.

“No, no there’s nothing, it’s fine,” Irwin stuttered.

Ellie raised her brow and he sighed, keeping his eyes fixed on the table.

“Do you have any—any Galviecian history books dated around the 1730s EC?”

“And?” Ellie encouraged him to continue.

“No, no ‘and’. That’s it.” Irwin pouted and glared at his sister. Then, with a sharp huff, he let his shoulders sag. “And, could you possibly teach me some magic when it’s convenient for you?”

“And?”

Irwin whimpered. “And alchemy, too!”

Janus pressed a closed fist to stifle a laugh at his lips, then cleared his throat and clasped his hands behind his back.

“I’m touched that you want to learn these things—and I’ll see if we don’t have your history book. Alchemy shouldn’t be a problem, as you can sit in while I do work. Magic, on the other hand, may prove difficult. Everyone’s capacity is different, so we would first need to test your ability to tap into your own ‘energy well’. It’s rather simple for me, due to my vampiric nature amplifying my abilities, so I may need to adjust my methods.”

He saw the concern painting Irwin’s face and raised a hand to dismiss it.

“But do not fret; it will be easy enough to asses what you can learn. I only fear that I may not be able to spare the hours to teach you at this time, as I have many duties to the realm to attend to. But when those duties lessen with the approach of winter, I would be happy to set aside time for it.”

“That—that’s great!” Irwin yelled, then clasped his hand over his mouth. “Sorry, just, wow I wasn’t expecting that. I can’t wait to start!” Growing self-conscious about how he’d been bouncing on his heels, Irwin’s eyes began darting between Janus, his sister and the door. “Well, anyway, I think I’m gonna see if Mum needs any help. Thank you!”

Without thinking, Irwin snatched the book from the table, tucked it under his arm, and hurried out the door. Ellie crossed her arms and squinted at where he’d disappeared, until finally she turned back toward Janus.

“He took my encyclopedia,” Janus said with a guffaw. He then let out an ‘oof’ when Ellie bonked her forehead against his chest and burrowed in. “What’s this all about?”

“That meant a lot to him, so I’m glad you agreed to it. But…” She lifted her chin and pouted. “My family’s warming up to you a little too fast! How am I supposed to have any of you to myself if you’re spending so much time with the rest of them?”

“Oh, Ellie.” He rested his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “That’s nothing you need to fret over. Trust me, you’ll have plenty of me to yourself.”

“Well, at least Lillian seems too distracted by Elise to notice you.” Ellie winked. “But don’t get me wrong; I’m glad they’re all warming up to you.”

“Yes, so there’s no need to be jealous of your family.” Janus wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “My, how beautiful you are. I can truly admire you so at this proximity.”

Ellie wiggled away with a light, playful slap to his chest. “Oh, you’re just trying to make me feel better by flattering me.”

“Is it working?” He tightened his grip and pressed his hip against her.

“Maybe.”

A low chuckle rumbled in Janus’s chest. “What say we spend some time together tonight, hm? Just the two of us, in the library for a change of pace. The castle’s getting colder and it might be nice to cuddle up near the fire and read together. Share in a little of each other’s warmth, yes?”

“Well.” She placed her hands on his shoulders and touched her lips to his. “I do like that idea. Though I think you’re gonna benefit more from my heat.”

“That I can’t deny. Vampires aren’t known for having strong blood circulation. But until the night comes, I’ll resume my daily tasks with controlled haste and bated breath.”

The two parted reluctantly, keeping their hands linked until the distance was too great even for their fingertips to touch. Janus gave Ellie one last smile before parting into the corridor. She stood there for a time, fantasizing about their little engagement in the library, until she was torn from her thoughts by a twinge of pain above her right breast. Nothing more than a pinch, but knowing the origin was enough to stir dread in Ellie. She held the wound, took a deep breath, and waited for the pinch to subside before brushing it off and leaving her concerns in the alchemy lab.